Luggage compartments with a lowerable shell are currently used in passenger aircraft in particular, as they advantageously enable space to be utilised in an optimum manner and at the same time a high level of operating convenience to be attained. The lowerable shell can be pivoted out of an upper closed position, in which the passengers seated under the luggage compartments are guaranteed optimum headroom, into a lower open loading and unloading position. Even relatively short people can easily deposit items of luggage in the shell and remove them from the shell in the loading and unloading position. In order to reduce a manual force which is required to pivot the lowerable shell between its lower open loading and unloading position and its upper closed position, luggage compartments which are used in passenger aircraft are frequently equipped with a force assisting device for providing an assisting force when opening and/or closing the luggage compartments.
A luggage compartment with a lowerable shell comprising a force assisting device disposed at the back of the luggage compartment is known from DE 102 22 124 A1. The force assisting device is connected to the lowerable shell of the luggage compartment by means of a cable guided over return pulleys and is equipped with a gas pressure spring for producing a required assisting force. The force assisting device is capable to adapt the provided assisting force to the loading state of the lowerable shell, so that a user has to apply an at least substantially invariable closing force, which is independent of the loading state of the lowerable shell, in order to push the lowerable shell upwards and to close the luggage compartment.
DE 10 2004 049 700 A1 describes a force assisting device which is intended to be used in conjunction with a luggage compartment with a lowerable shell and which enables an assisting force provided by the force assisting device to be controlled purely mechanically. The force assisting device comprises a gas pressure spring, which is articulated in a pivotable manner to a rocking lever, and an adjustment device, which enables the rocking lever to be pivoted and therefore the assisting force which is provided by the force assisting device to be adapted in dependence on a load which is determined by a load determination device.
The known force assisting devices have the disadvantage of a relatively high weight and a relatively high installation space requirement. Moreover, they consist of a relatively large number of individual components and are relatively complex in terms of their technical function.